When Katie McCreary and Brad MacMaster decided to adopt a second time, they knew they wanted to welcome another child with special needs into their family.

Several years earlier they adopted their son Mahdi, who has Down syndrome. McCreary and MacMaster adored him from the start, and happily provided the extra care he required.

Then the time came when they felt prepared to provide the same love and attention to another little one.

“We believe everyone deserves a forever home,” says McCreary.

Xander MacMaster, their second son, was also born with Down syndrome. But after he arrived in their care, McCreary and MacMaster realized the one-year-old boy had other medical challenges. A routine exam found Xander had moderate hearing loss, for which he was provided hearing aids.

But as Xander became increasingly mobile, his parents noticed something else was wrong. He would bump into walls and take falls in unfamiliar places. After undergoing several eye exams, a doctor of optometry diagnosed him with severe nearsightedness in his right eye and farsightedness in his left, as well as astigmatism, an eye condition characterized by blurred vision.

“His eyes don’t really work together,” says McCreary.

Xander also had difficulty gaining weight, a problem caused by a digestive disorder.

With several health complications to contend with, Xander’s parents had to consult a number of health care professionals. Stresses mounted as McCreary had to take time off work to bring her son to his appointments.

“With each diagnosis, it’s almost like a punch in the gut,” she says. “But then you realize the support that’s out there, and it’s not as bad.”

One of the key support sources the family turned to was CNIB, a longstanding charity that provides services to Canadians who are blind and partially sighted of all ages.

The organization set the family up with a CNIB specialist who helped them realize that even with vision and hearing loss, Xander could be more independent than they thought possible.

She started visiting the family at their Bowmanville, Ont. home, and helped them with strategies to encourage Xander in independent play, like displaying his toys individually on a shelf so he could find them.

When the little boy began to show greater interest in exploring his surroundings, the specialist showed them how to improve the layout of their furniture so Xander could find his way around more easily.

She cleared a large open area where Xander could run and play safely, made sure railings were in place to guide him on the stairs and placed lighting in appropriate areas. She also worked with Xander and his parents outside of the home, suggesting ways to teach him to use playground equipment on his own.

Today, at seven years old, Xander is learning to communicate with his family in his own way. Because he doesn’t speak, he will often pick up his shoes and show them to his parents to let them know he wants to go outside.

Now enrolled in school, Xander continues to work with CNIB to help further his development. His CNIB specialist even accompanies him to his classes at school regularly to help him communicate using picture symbols and sign language.

“She’s his eyes and ears,” says McCreary.

Meanwhile, his specialist is busy working with his teachers to adapt the classroom so Xander can navigate it more easily – like painting door frames, curbs and posts bright yellow – and helping him travel the hallways with a cane so he can get to the gym or the library.

She also attends some of Xander’s physiotherapy and occupational therapy sessions, where she offers tips on how to work with him most effectively despite his vision loss.

CNIB’s continuing support is making Xander more confident and able in his day-to-day living, MacMaster says.

“At school he’s more comfortable. At home he’s often chomping at the bit to get out to a park. He knows where he wants to go and it’s coming from his own motivation . . . [CNIB] really showed us the potential Xander could have and what we could do to help him be more successful.”

To learn more about CNIB, visit cnib.ca or call the CNIB Helpline at 1-800-563-2642.

This story was produced by Postmedia’s advertising department on behalf of CNIB for commercial purposes. Postmedia’s editorial departments had no involvement in the creation of this content.